The Fairmont Empress is a luxury hotel located in Victoria, British Columbia, that caters to wedding parties big or small. This hotel venue offers personalized, attentive service in a picturesque setting full of elegance and sophistication. The business has won a number of awards, including being named a Conde Nast Readers' Choice and Gold List hotel and Travel + Leisure's top Canadian hotel.
Facilities and capacity
The hotel has more than several event spaces, with both indoor and outdoor rooms. Some of the most noted rooms include The Crystal Ballroom, The Palm Court, The Ivy Ballroom, The Library, and The Rose Garden. The Crystal Ballroom is the venue's space with the highest maximum capacity, holding up to 280 guests. The 30-person capacity Library, meanwhile, best serves more intimate gatherings.
Services offered
Fairmont Empress offers a team to help couples plan their wedding at this location. Their services can be used to plan the following:
Bridal shower
Ceremony
Engagement party
Reception
Accommodations
Cake
Catering/bar
Event planning
Lighting/sound
Outside vendors
Other services
Aside from hosting weddings, the business is Vancouver Island’s largest convention and events destination. Guests can enjoy an afternoon tea, full-service spa, or fine dining experience. A wonderful elopement package is also available to all couples.
We hosted our wedding at the Empress. My fiance and I stayed in the hotel 3 nights and our ceremony was in the Library with our reception in the Shanassey. We did a brunch buffet for our meal and also did our cake with their in house bakery.
The quality was amazing on all fronts. We had a wonderful time with excellent service. It wasn't cheap by any means but was worth it for an excellent experience. 😁
Sent on 01/08/2019
Fairmont Empress's reply:
Thank you very much Jaime! It's been a pleasure to receive all of you and be a part of your special day. Congratulations to the both of you and feel free to share some pictures with us as well :-).
All the best, Florine Battaglia - Wedding & Proposal Manager
Joanna Vatavu
· Married on 01/09/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Beautiful wedding venue
Our wedding at the newly renovated Empress Hotel was incredible. The hotel is absolutely stunning and Victoria itself beautiful in September. The service from our wedding coordinator Florine was professional, responsive and exceed our expectations. Florine is the best wedding coordinator you could ask for! She was knowledgeable and made helpful recommendations to us. She is also incredible nice and a pleasure to work with. Our food and drinks were also excellent.
Sent on 04/10/2019
Fairmont Empress's reply:
Thank you very much for your kind words Joanna, it's always a pleasure to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your experience with us and we couldn't be happier to hear that you had a fun and memorable wedding at Fairmont Empress! We can't wait to see the pictures :-) All the best to the both of you!
Florine Battaglia - Wedding & Proposal Manager
Victoria W.
· Married on 15/06/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
A True Fairytale Wedding
We are so happy we chose the Empress as our wedding venue! Our wedding was truly a dream come true and it was absolutely perfect in a large part due to the amazing work of the team at the Empress.
Our wedding coordinator Florine was an absolute pleasure to work with. She went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of for our special day and she made a fantastic team together with our wedding planners Anouk Fitzner and Emma McCormick at The Good Party!
We had our ceremony in the Library, which is a perfect space for a very small and intimate wedding like ours was. Our reception was in the Shaughnessy Ballroom, which is a beautiful space with lovely columns and a very classic feel. We also had our rehearsal dinner in the Bengal Lounge, a wonderful historic space perfect for a family gathering. The food at the Empress is exceptional, and we received so many compliments from our guests. We were accommodated in a very romantic and beautiful harbour view suite, which was so memorable and a great background for getting-ready photos.
We would very highly recommend the Empress, and we believe that it is definitely one of the best wedding venues in the world! Thank you so much Florine and your team for making our special day absolutely perfect!
Sent on 30/09/2019
Fairmont Empress's reply:
Hello Victoria, thank you so much for your kind words. It's been an absolute pleasure to get to know the both of you and help you plan your Fairy Tale Wedding. It was truly beautiful and so filled with joy and love that we still remember it :-). Thank you for sharing those gorgeous pictures and for keeping in touch. All the best to the both of you :-).
Florine - Wedding & Proposal Manager
Bruce
· Married on 01/06/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Naiomi & Bruce's Wedding
The Empress was first class all the way from beginning to end! They were friendly, flexible, professional and very easy to work with. The service was top-notch and the food was beyond amazing!
The Empress wedding planner, Florine, was so easy to work with and worked so well with our wedding planner Emma McCormick at The Good Party! With the two of them working together we knew that we didn't have to worry about a thing except to enjoy our day together with family and friends.
We would highly recommend the Fairmont Empress and their team with Florine to anyone looking for an amazing venue and experience!
Naiomi & Bruce
Sent on 01/07/2019
Fairmont Empress's reply:
Thank you so very much Naiomi & Bruce for your kind words. Your wedding day was spectacular and I was truly honored to be a part of it! Feel free to come and say hello whenever you are in the area. Congratulations to the both of you again and all the best!
Florine Battaglia - Wedding & Proposal Manager
Aggie Strzelecka
· Married on 01/06/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Magical wedding venue
We toured a few dozen venues around Vancouver Island & sunshine coast, but nothing compared to the Empress - stunning renovations, attentive service, iconic location, and simply beautiful spaces for our wedding. The entire team (doormen, concierge, housekeeping, banquet servers, etc) at the Empress impressed us with attention to detail and exceptional service. Big shout out to Lisa and the absolutely wonderful Florine!
Our wedding day went off without a hitch - our guests loved the food, atmosphere, Empress Gin, and the delicious GF wedding cake. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.
We are already looking forward to spending our anniversary here!
Sent on 14/06/2019
Fairmont Empress's reply:
Thank you so very much for your kind words Aggie! I am so glad to hear that your wedding day was magical and that you all had a great time with us! It was a stunning day and we were honored to be a part of that! We wish you all the best in the world and see you at your anniversary :-). Florine Battaglia, Wedding & Proposal Manager.
